Hi everyone, I hope you had a great weekend! I just wanted to check in to let you know that I'm going to be largely absent this week (though I do hope to reveal some exciting news soon!). I want to spend time with Jon and the girls on the front end of this week, particularly because I will be heading to BlissDom to speak and on behalf of a client on Thursday. Meanwhile, if you're looking for stuff to do this week, here are a slew of February vacation ideas, plus I wanted to share some posts that caught my eye this week. Have a fantastic week and happy reading!
This post about Asian American icons moved me very, very much.

On carrying sadness and letting it go.

Ten excellent ways to reduce stress.

How to get your kids to stop nailbiting.

Twenty ideas for giving yourself 10 minutes a day.

Gluten- and dairy-free breakfast ideas.

On Rick Santorum and women voters.

I love these images of hearts in nature.

Ideas for getting kids to clean up.

Have you tried alternative therapies for depression and anxiety?

Image credit: Kirtsy

Happy snowy Tuesday everyone! I hope you all had a lovely and reflective long weekend. This morning I wanted to share one timely online event + some other fun updates. First, today at 1pm ET, I'll be co-hosting a live chat on The State of the Mom Blogosphere over at TheMotherhood. The chats are TheMotherhood are amazing, as are my co-hosts -- come join the conversation! (No complicated technical know-how required; it's basically like commenting in on status updates.) Second, I'm super honored to be featured in The Improper Bostonian's style section this month. The fashion shoot was insanely fun and I hope to share more of talented Adam DeTour's photos soon.

Third & fourth: in December, I shared some ideas on keeping kids happy while on the road in the Boston Globe and helping kids banish boredom in USA Today Kids Health Magazine. Enjoy!

Fifth: I'm so very honored to be included in this roundup of fine speakers for BlissDom. This is an amazing conference and I'm incredibly excited to be talking about doing less as a life strategy. If you're attending this conference, please come say hello!

And sixth: I am amazed and overwhelmed by the unexpected outpouring of responses to my call for writers. If you submitted an application, please bear with me. It's going to take me some time to go through all of the applications as I want to give each its due attention, and balance out the applicant editorial interests with my current writers.

Enjoy the week!

Happy 2012 everyone -- I hope you had a wonderful holiday break! We soldiered through a plague-filled start to the vacation, but eventually recovered and enjoyed the relaxed pace so very much. I also did pretty well on my vacation week to do list and accomplished #1 (except we passed the plague on to my poor mother-in-law), #3 (almost...it will be out by the end of today...yippee!), #4, #5, #10 (oh my goodness I love my new site, feel free to take a peek), #11 (chocolate cake!), #13, #14, and #16.
I hope to knock off the remaining items this month, and will start with #7 (make an editorial plan for Boston Mamas), in a way, today. Over the break, even though I wasn't posting here, I was thinking about editorial on this site. As regular readers might gather, content tends to be organically inspired -- I don't have a firm editorial calendar (for example, specific topics on specific days of the week) and I don't crack the whip with the wonderful women who share words on this site. And while I love organically evolving content, I also feel that for all of our collective enjoyment/utility, I would like to feature more regular voices across a range of verticals. And get a little more organized in general. So today, I'd like to open a call for writers.

If you are interested in contributing to Boston Mamas, please fill out this brief application. In a nutshell, I'm looking for writers who are able to reliably contribute one blog post per month (compensated; either topic assigned by me or writer-pitched and approved) and who clearly enjoy writing and write well (i.e., posts must be thoughtfully crafted and spell checked). I am looking for everyday local moms who love sharing awesome ideas and finds (local or otherwise) and/or thoughtful editorial on deeper matters (e.g., family issues, child development quandaries).

Please note: I get pitched by a lot of businesses that want to guest post in order to promote their businesses. This is not what I am looking for. If you are a business and want to connect with my readership, please take a look at the contact guidelines.

Thanks so much, and I look forward to hearing from you! And please be patient while I sift through the responses. I will need to evaluate options and balance different variables across new and existing contributors, which will no doubt take a bit of tinkering!

Wishing you a beautiful 2012; thanks for hanging here! xoxo Christine

Image credit: Nutdanai Apikhomboonwaroot via FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Hello wonderful readers! I have been waffling over whether to blog or take a break during the winter holidays, and then yesterday the universe decided to provide me directives by sending me and Laurel the dreaded stomach bug. Yesterday was beyond awful, but we are on the mend and moving forward with Christmas plans (though somewhat subdued, and with the mindset that we will pull back as needed). However, I will follow the universe's sign and take the holiday break off here! If anything truly timely comes up, I will share quick links via Twitter and Facebook so please feel free to connect there. Meanwhile, assuming my health comes back to me quickly, below are some things I'd like to do during the winter break. Have a wonderful holiday!

1. Enjoy Christmas with my family. (Hopefully not give anyone else the plague.)

2. Go ice skating with Jon and the girls. (Now pending depending on state of plague.)

3. Finish my book outlines and deliver them to my potential publisher.

4. Purge my closet.

5. Tidy up my office.

6. Take Laurel and Violet to see The Muppets.

7. Make an editorial plan for Boston Mamas.

8. Finally print, frame, and hang photos including Violet.

9. Order school supplies to donate to Laurel's classroom.

10. Revamp my professional landing page.

11. Bake something really delicious with Laurel.

12. Reconcile my financial paperwork.

13. Enjoy an evening out with Jon.

14. Celebrate New Year's with family and friends and set intentions for 2012.

15. If there is snow, take Laurel sledding. Also take some gratuitous photos of Laurel and Violet on a sled.

16. Learn some new chords on my mandola. (I recently learned to play my first song!)

Do you have any specific things you'd love to do this holiday break? I'd love to hear them!

I'm part of the Mom's the Word on Dinner conversation series via Momversation so I've been thinking a lot about mealtime (even more than usual!). Recent conversation on the program's Facebook page has focused on dinnertime mojo and quick meals, and these conversation threads have reminded me that meals are decidedly un-Zen for so many families. Indeed, with two busy parents, a chatty 7-year-old, and a sippy cup banging 8-month-old at our table, meals are not always the most relaxed. This all got me thinking about some of the typical stumbling blocks we face and how we try to address them. I hope the below thoughts are helpful, and I'd love to hear if you have other challenges at the dinner table and what you do to mitigate them!
1. Slowing down the horses.

Stumbling Block: By the time we get to the table, one or more of us typically is famished. Subsequently, there's a tendency to strap on the feedbag, as it were, and go.

Solution: We have taken to pausing to start our meals with an expression of gratitude -- for each other, for the food in front of us, and anything else that is top of mind. It only takes a moment, but has been a really effective way to slow down our pace.

2. Speedy, yet monochromatic meals.

Stumbling Block: If we're rushing with food prep, sometimes meals can end up, well, rather monochromatic (e.g., pasta, corn, etc.).

Solution: Our typical quick meals include quesadillas, breakfast for dinner, pasta, etc., and we try to resolve monochrome syndrome with quick additions such as baby spinach in the quesadillas, or cucumbers, carrot sticks, or grape tomato halves on the side. And fruit, always fruit.

3. Interrupting.

Stumbling Block: We are, er, a rather verbal family and Laurel has a tendency to start a conversation thread while another is in progress.

Solution: While it's sometimes just easier to let interruptions happen, we're trying to help Laurel get in a more mindful habit by stopping and reminding her that someone else needs to finish their thought before she jumps in. She's actually started raising her hand lately, to get in the queue, which is pretty cute.

4. Up and down, up and down.

Stumbling Block: This is something we struggle with, whether it's Laurel getting up and down when she realizes she has something in her backpack she wants to show us, or Jon or I fetching something we forgot for the meal. And it contributes to a general sense of mealtime chaos.

Solution: We now tell Laurel that whatever she wants to show us can wait, and unless it's something major, we do without whatever we've forgotten at the table. Alternatively, we limit our get ups (meaning, we wait until we've thought of a few things we forgot to get and take care of it all at once). It's amazing how much these small tweaks change the pace for the better.

5. General disaster zone.

Stumbling Block: This might be my own personal peeve, but I really, really dislike sitting down to a meal with the kitchen in a completely disastrous state.

Solution: I've tried to work on this one by chipping away at the build up that tends to start well before dinner -- for example, asking Laurel to wash out her lunch containers, chipping away at random dishes while items are cooking, and so forth.

Those are the major stumbling blocks for us. It's pretty much a work in progress! I'd love to hear what you're wrestling with, either here in the comments or at the Mom's the Word on Dinner Facebook page.

Image credit: Stoonn via FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I've been immersed in change and exploration ever since career pivoting five years ago, so I'm really looking forward to attending the Mass Conference for Women -- which encourages attendees to live fearlessly and pursue their path. In addition to undoubtedly drawing inspiration from speakers and attendees, next week I'll provide social media consulting sessions for those looking for guidance in developing their brand. My consult sessions apparently are already full (sorry about that -- I should have posted sooner!) but I did want to pass along a discount code in case you want to attend. Use code MAWD29 for a rate of $125 per individual ($30 off) and $1,250 for a table of 10 ($200 off). Hope to see you there!

While I was en route to California this past weekend, I was so happy to have some quiet time to read through more of the Boston Mamas survey comments. Among the responses was a question that fit well both for the Dear Boston Mamas column, and given that I just guest posted at Rookie Moms about what I have learned in having a second child. Of course, a lot of the below would apply to 2+ children as well; if you have additional thoughts to share, feel free to do so in the comments!

Question: How is life with two kids? We are expecting #2 and I know it will be different but how? How are you managing? Is baby #2 on a schedule or on older child's schedule?

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Dear Lovely Reader:

Obviously, not every day of parenting is easy, but in general, I will say that I have been amazed by how wonderful life with two kids is. After several years of struggling with infertility, I finally made my peace with being a family of three. After which point of course I got pregnant. But from the very beginning Violet has felt as if she belongs with us. We feel so blessed.

It also has been excellent to experience parenting through a new lens; specifically, that of a laid back, experienced parent. I know it's not the same for everyone, but I have heard many people comment that subsequent kids are more laid back because their parents are more laid back, and this certainly has been the case for us.

Now, to address your questions about logistics: adding a new person to a family does, of course, involve adjustment. Here is how our transition has shaken out:

Morning routine: The period immediately coming home was the most chaotic, particularly since school was in session for Laurel and we still needed to be organized enough to get lunches together, keep on top of homework, and so forth. Since I was nursing and thus up with Violet quite a bit during the night, we simply decided that Jon would be the point person for Laurel in the morning. If I got up and could help, it was a bonus, but otherwise, Jon was on point to negotiate breakfast, finish Laurel's lunch packing (to cut down on morning chaos we assemble most of it the night before), handle the dreaded hair combing (admittedly, many days during that period of time it was rather nest-like...), make sure Laurel brushed her teeth, and get her off to school. Gradually, however, I was able to get back to helping, and now we're all up at pretty much the same time so it works out fine. Violet usually crawls around and pulls up on Laurel's chair while we take care of the morning routine.

During the day -- sleeping: This time around we're totally not worrying about watching the clock and sticking Violet to a sleep schedule, and it's been interesting to see Violet fall into a pattern naturally. In general, she's now up between 6:30am - 7:30pm and takes two naps during the day (like Laurel, she's a short napper -- usually just 45 minutes or so each time). But instead of trying to force naps on the clock, we wait until she's tired or just falls asleep (e.g., in stroller). It's so much easier and it's been great to put an awake but drowsy baby in the crib, walk away, and have her fall asleep on her own!

During the day -- eating: While we are very flexible about Violet's napping, the one thing I do try to pay attention to is her eating schedule. Because rather like me, Violet is much more affected in the cranky department by hunger than fatigue! Also, I found that the scheduling/details got a little more complicated when Violet started solids and I needed to keep track of what she was eating (to keep an eye out for allergies) and how to fit in solid feedings with nursing. Regarding suggested food process and schedule, I have found HappyBaby: The Organic Guide to Baby's First 24 Months (which was sent to me by the company) super helpful. And now that we're a couple of months into solid foods and we're on to real meals (vs. little bits of solids simply for exposure), we're now happily in a rhythm where Violet has solid foods at regular mealtimes and breastmilk first thing in the morning, as between-meal snacks, and at bedtime. Basically, it's easier to remember when to feed her because her solid food intake generally corresponds to our mealtimes!

Bedtime: One of the more challenging elements for us at the beginning was the end of the day. Pre-Violet, we used to put Laurel to bed and then the rest of the evening would be time for Jon and me to connect or for both of us to catch up on home and work matters. Early on Violet napped more during the day and was very awake during the window between Laurel and our bedtimes so Jon and I felt rather lacking in downtime. However, in the last couple of months, Violet has fallen into a pattern where she is ready to call it a night right around Laurel's bedtime. That has been quite lovely!

How the two kids' schedules intersect: Another major reason we don't fret over Violet's sleep schedule is because we have an elementary school aged kid with fixed things such as soccer practice or birthday parties or playdates on her schedule. Often times, Violet is a companion to many of Laurel's events -- we don't worry about the napping element (she tends to just fall asleep if she needs to on the go), but I do make sure I bring along food for her if we're going to be out during a meal. Also, I'm still nursing, so we always have extra nourishment at the ready if need be.

Every family system varies, and I would suggest that the most important thing to remember at the beginning is that yes, some days will be really, really hard, but that you will fall into a routine eventually and things will get easier. Good luck and let me know if you have any other questions!

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Image credit: Christine Koh (those are Laurel and Violet's feet!)

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Have a question for Christine? Drop her a line! And of course feel free to comment in if you have recommendations beyond those made above.

I'm so grateful to everyone who bought raffle tickets for Asha and my Camp Mighty raffle to benefit charity: water, or made direct donations on our behalf. As of this evening, we exceeded our $400 goal and raised $625. I'm going to have Asha draw the winner and I will update this post once I know who gets the tote! Meanwhile, if you didn't have a chance to participate yet, you're welcome to donate to our team here. We're closing in on our team goal of $5,000 and it's pretty awesome that as it currently stands, the $3,625 raised will provide 181 people with clean water. Thanks again everyone!

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THIS RAFFLE IS CLOSED
Congrats to winner Sasha! And thanks again to everyone who supported us via raffle ticket purchase and direct donation!
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In reviewing the responses from the Boston Mamas survey (thank you, thank you to all who weighed in!), some themes emerged. Readers want more event picks (which I've addressed by adding weekday as well as weekend event roundups) and also general lifestyle ideas and money saving tips -- for kids and grownups. After pondering a few ways to go about addressing all of these different bits of information sharing, I decided to start a new series: a beginning-of-week post including a running list of everything from events to bargain alerts to other ideas, tips, and reminders that spring to mind as useful and/or fun.
When I started jotting down notes for this week -- based on things I took care of this weekend or need/want to do this week -- it reminded me a bit of Martha Stewart's magazine calendar page (minus the extensive gardening). I hope this week's inaugural column (next post) offers helpful tips and inspiration for the week. Please let me know if there are particular topics you'd like me to cover in the future, and of course if you have ideas for future weeks, drop me a line!

Thanks for being awesome. xoxo Christine

Image credit: Stuart Miles via FreeDigitalPhotos.net